Book Recs Wanted

[kerravonsen]

The person at work (S) who loaned me the "Order of the Phoenix" DVD really likes Harry Potter (has read all the books at least twice). She hates the Narnia stories (only got half way through "The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe" before she gave up because she felt she was being hit over the head with the Bible). She's just started His Dark Materials trilogy. I've just made her some recs, but I'd be interested in more. She said it isn't so much that she's interested in Fantasy as such, but the things that she loved about Harry Potter were the characterisation and the themes.

So this is what I recced to her:
- The Curse of Chalion (Lois McMaster Bujold) and the other Chalion books
- Sandman (Neil Gaiman)
- the Sime~Gen series
- Doctor Who (though she's mainly looking for book recs)

She also indicated an interest in good Star Wars books, but I couldn't help there, not really being that into Star Wars myself.

So, folks, have you got any book recs, for stuff which is thematically positive with memorable characters?

Comments

[dawnmist]

* Elizabeth Moon: The Serrano Legacy (is 3 + 3 + 1 books)
* Elizabeth Moon: Trading in Danger, etc
* Anne McCaffrey: Sassinak, then maybe the rest of that series
* Anne McCaffrey: The Talents of Earth (To Ride Pegasus, Pegasus in Flight, Pegasus in Space) & The Rowan series
* Anne McCaffrey & others: Possibly the ships series (Ship who Sang, Ship who Searched**, City who fought, etc). I like the Ship who Searched the best in that lot :P
* The books by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (I hope I remembered the author's names correctly)
* Possibly Jean Auel's books (memorable characters, although a change of pace from the space ones).
* Possibly Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrian series - the 3 books in The Deed of Paksenarrian (not sure about that spelling) - wouldn't bother with the Prequel/Sequel so much - these being fantasy but again with a memorable character, although the second one is almost a DnD game plot in places *lol*.
* Maybe the Temerraire series
* Miles Vorkosigan (spelling again!) books
* Honor Harrington series.

[kerravonsen]

I intend to hold off on the Vorkosigan books until I see how she likes the Chalion ones. If she says "Is there any more stuff by this author?" I can point her to them.

Honor Harrington I wouldn't rec unless she liked Vorkosigan. Likewise Elizabeth Moon -- I don't know whether or not she would go for military SF or not.

I think one reason she was interested in Star Wars is the underlying good/evil themes of the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force. You don't tend to get that in most military SF.

Maybe the Temerraire series

I was wondering about Temerraire myself. She might find them a bit slow-paced.

The books by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (I hope I remembered the author's names correctly)

Yes, you did. I was wondering about those too. I suppose you could say that they have themes of honour, considering how important honour is to Liadens.

I like the Ship who Searched the best in that lot

I agree, the Ship Who Searched is the best of that lot. I like it a lot. I like the original Ship Who Sang too, but I wouldn't rec any of the others, really.

I wonder if she would like McCaffrey's Dragon books or not? The first six are good, even if McCaffrey burnt out with the others.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I see your assessment of McCaffry's Dragon books matches mine exactly!

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Any idea what era Star Wars she'd be interested it? There's some good ones I could rec, but they're all post-Return of the Jedi, no prequel-era stuff.

Hmmmm. Thematically positive with memorable characters. Any chance she'd go for Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series? Or maybe Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles?

Oh! I know! Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. And the cat-wizard books which are linked to that series (Book of Night With Moon; To Visit the Queen). Thematically very much like Harry Potter, and some truly memorable characters, imho.

And I second reccing the Temeraire books, and anything Bujold's written.

[kerravonsen]

Any idea what era Star Wars she'd be interested it? There's some good ones I could rec, but they're all post-Return of the Jedi, no prequel-era stuff.

Rec them anyway; if she's not interested she can always say so. I'd be surprised if she were only interested in prequel-era stuff, since most SW fans I would expect to be interested in both trilogies or just the first trilogy. Or maybe that's just my prejudices speaking.

Any chance she'd go for Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series? Or maybe Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles?

It's been ages since I read those! I vaguely remember liking them, but I don't have copies I could lend her.

Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard.

I wasn't sure whether to rec that, since I found I didn't like it that much; or perhaps my expectations were too high, since my friend tptigger is a big fan of the Young Wizards series, so when I finally read the first book, I was expecting more than I got.

But, yeah, it would probably be worth it, since it is very good thematically, and has some reasonably good characters.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

I love the Young Wizards series. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.

For prequel-era Star Wars EU, I recommend Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart. It seems to be a bit of a love-or-hate-it book, though I'm sure there's some middle ground floating around who just aren't talking, but anyway I'm fond of it.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Library Thing suggests Eragon by Christopher Paolini (liked by people who like Harry Potter). I haven't read it myself, but comments say it's better than the movie (which I haven't seen)

If it isn't fantasy per se, why not try Miles Vorkosign?

To ask the obvious - has she read LOTR?

[kerravonsen]

Library Thing suggests Eragon by Christopher Paolini (liked by people who like Harry Potter). I haven't read it myself, but comments say it's better than the movie (which I haven't seen)

Hmmm, the only things I've heard about Eragon (the book) were disparaging, so I'm reluctant to rec it.

If it isn't fantasy per se, why not try Miles Vorkosign?

See my comment above. I'd rather first rec stuff that has strong themes as well as good characterisation, and I wouldn't necessarily say that Vorkosigan has strong themes, just that it's character-driven.

has she read LOTR?

She's seen the movies, but I got the impression that she found the book too hard to get into.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Bujold - Spirit Ring.

[kerravonsen]

That's the one Bujold that I disliked. It struck me as very unoriginal(*) and made me think that she couldn't write fantasy, until "The Curse of Chalion" came along.

(*) The story is based on a legend I recall learning in Art History at school (but I can't remember who it was about), but unlike other historical fantasy that I've enjoyed, I felt that giving it a fantasy cast actually made the story worse.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

You know, I really wouldn't say the Vor books don't have strong themes. Not quite the same kind, perhaps, but they're there.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

She might like Diana Wynne-Jones. She writes children's books, but I've enjoyed reading them.

[kerravonsen]

Hmmm, yes, but which one to start with? Ah, of course, "Charmed Life"! I remember when I read the first Harry Potter book, thinking that "Charmed Life" was much better. Of course, what I'd be afraid of is that she would think that "Charmed Life" was a rip-off of Harry Potter, even though "Charmed Life" was written many years earlier than HP.

[tptigger.livejournal.com]

Young Wizards by Diane Duane

Good Star Wars books: Anything by Timothy Zahn

Um... all I can think of this early, I'm afraid.

[kerravonsen]

Young Wizards by Diane Duane

I knew you'd rec that. 8-)

[tptigger.livejournal.com]

:P

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

A Wrinkle In Time by L'Engle was excellent in character and theme departments. Oh, and if you're afraid to have her start on Charmed Life maybe give her Howl's Moving Castle? I enjoyed that one when i was coming off my Harry Potter binge after book 4 or 5.

[kerravonsen]

I must admit that "Howl's Moving Castle" is one of the DWJ's that I re-read a lot.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books, perhaps?

[kerravonsen]

Ah, now that would be interesting.